We had an amazing MONIO weekend. So laden with brilliant people and music it was hard to believe – the vibe was just amazing. So positive, so encouraging… exactly what we hoped the spirit of MONIO would be.
I think a good place to start would be to thank the amazing musicians (and poets) who graced the lineup – Wallis Bird, David Holmes, Iain Archer, The Lowly Knights, Cashier No. 9, Polarbear, RAMS’ Pocket Radio, Five Ants, The Vals, Six Star Hotel, Farriers, Dan Eggs, LaFaro, Ed Zealous, Ken Haddock, Gareth Dunlop, Mark McKnight Trio, Robyn G Shiels, and our fabulous surprise guests – Brian Houston, Duke Special and country legend Hal Ketchum.
We are also very much indebted to our wonderful MC for the weekend, Tony Moore – who was given the keys to the port of Belfast by Foy Vance as the first ever MONIO award many years ago. He has been, and remains, one of the great friends of MONIO – and has offered to let us take over The Bedford some night for a London-based MONIO night… so watch out! His presence all weekend was really appreciated by everyone… thanks Tony!
A few days of rest, then we’ll get to planning a new funkier website, the long-awaited MONIO Audio Widget which you can install in your Facebook page or whatever, and the plans for 2010… Onwards 